Scoob!

"We'll go in the Haunted House this one time.  But we're not going to make a habit of this, right, Scoob?"

Shaggy Rogers (Forte) and his dog Scooby-Doo (Welker) have been best friends since they met ten years ago.  They also met Fred Jones (Efron), Daphne Blake (Seyfried), and Velma Dinkley (Rodriguez) that Halloween and solved a mystery together.  The success of the case led them to form Mystery Incorporated.

Ten years later, Mystery Inc. is still solving mysteries, but a fight about their future leads Shaggy and Scooby to walk away.  That night they are attacked by robots, but they are rescued by Dee Dee Skyes (Clemons), Dynomutt (Jeong), and the Blue Falcon (Wahlberg) and taken aboard their jet.  Fred, Daphne, and Velma are worried about their friends and start their own investigation.  They discover that Dick Dastardly is behind the attack and is trying to capture Scooby.  Can the team put aside their differences and solve the mystery?

Scooby-Doo was created by Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1969.  Since the show was created, the characters have been appeared in numerous television shows and films (both animated and live-action).

The Good:

They have some good ideas... and are clearly trying to do something bigger (this film is supposed to be the start of a Hanna-Barbera cinematic universe).  I would like to see how they treat the other Hanna-Barbera cartoons.  It was smart to start here, with better known characters, but it will be interesting to see how they handle some of the other shows that have not maintained the same level of popularity.

The Bad:

The filmmakers chose to use big actors to voice the characters, instead of the voice actors that portray the characters in the animated television shows.  The only exception is Frank Welker, who originated the role of Fred, who voices Scooby-Doo.  They also did not contact the actors who portrayed the characters in the live-action films.  In some cases it works, but in most cases it is jarring.  The worst is Tracy Morgan as Captain Caveman.  I like Morgan, and he could voice any character well, but he is not the right choice for Captain Caveman.

Other Comments:

-The montage of the gang's early adventures is a shot-for-shot duplicate of the original 1960's TV show Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, including the original theme song.

-The villain, Dick Dastardly, is from another Hanna-Barbera cartoon Wacky Racers

-There is also an appearance by Captain Caveman from the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels

-The end credits feature appearances by other Hanna-Barbera characters

-The film feels like a missed opportunity... there are good moments, but it misses the mark.  I enjoyed it, but they tried too hard to make it relevant and did not capture the feeling of the show.

Scoob! (2020) 94 minutes

Director: Tony Cervone

Starring: Frank Welker as Scooby-Doo

Will Forte as Shaggy Rogers

Mark Wahlberg as Blue Falcon

Jason Isaacs as Dick Dastardly

Gina Rodriguez as Velma Dinkley

Zac Efron as Fred Jones

Amanda Seyfried as Daphne Blake

Kiersey Clemons as Dee Dee Skyes

Ken Jeong as Dynomutt the Dog Wonder